Novak Djokovic will NOT be sanctioned after a controversial anti-Kosovo message… but the French Tennis Federation suggests there will be a reminder to world number 3 on Grand Slam rules
Novak Djokovic will not be sanctioned for his latest political statement on Kosovo, with French Open chiefs saying such player commentary is “understandable”.
However, the French Tennis Federation also suggested they would be reminded of Grand Slam regulations, which at a minimum discourage players from making statements on controversial topics outside of sport.
On Monday after winning the first round, Djokovic scribbled on a camera lens on the court: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence.’
His message came amid growing tensions and outbreaks of riots in the territory, whose independence Serbia does not recognize.
A somewhat woolly statement from Roland Garros last night made no specific reference to the Wimbledon champion.
Serbian Novak Djokovic will not be sanctioned for his political statement on Kosovo
The world number 3 scribbled a message on a camera after his first round victory at Roland Garros
He did, however, refer to the Majors rules, adding: “Messages are passed to the teams of all players affected by these matters.”
The authorities are effectively paralyzed in implementing their own regulations at the moment due to the number of questions from the media about the whole situation in Russia and Ukraine.
Every Ukrainian player would fall under such rules in the current climate, but there are other recent precedents for leniency.
At the Australian Open, Russian Karen Khachanov wrote on camera in support of Armenian claims to Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave of Azerbaijan.
The French Tennis Federation suggested reminding him of the Grand Slam regulations
The same tournament saw Djokovic’s father pose in front of a flag with Vladimir Putin’s head on it, alongside pro-Russian Serbian fans.
The head of Kosovo’s tennis association has called for the player to be sanctioned, but with no players from the territory, there’s a negligible chance of that happening for now.
At Wimbledon this summer, Russian and Belarus players must sign a separate neutrality pledge as a condition of their participation.
This is a case where a violation is likely to have grave consequences for anyone who speaks out in favor of war.
